The Letter Under the Coffee Maker
by BeastlessBelle
Summary: Ianto has a secret admirer on the team.
1. Finding the letter

_**I was asked to write this. So. Here ya go. **_

__It was that time of the year again. Spring cleaning. Ianto took this job more seriously then the rest of the team combined and then supercharged with the power of the Rift. He wanted his work station to be as pristine as can be. He had taken extreme care in all the organization of what the team called "The Coffee Cave", a closet in which Ianto had organized the coffee for the year by nation of origin, quality, and strength of roast. Now it was time for the dangerous part. The moving of the coffee maker. He had to clean out under it or that just wouldn't be hygienic. He removed his coat and placed it on a chair. He was like a surgeon, carefully making the first incision. He lifted the great contraption and moved it slowly to another desk. Now that the coffee maker that had become his closest companion was safe, he could clean in peace.

He turned back and looked at the newly empty space and noticed something odd. It wasn't empty. Sitting where the coffee maker once stood was a coffee stained envelope with his name in sloping handwriting. He picked it up and gently opened it.

_Dear Ianto,_

_I just wanted to take this time to tell you how I feel. I must sound like a school girl right now, but I love you. I don't know why I haven't tried to say it sooner. I know that I seem like I can handle myself, but I think we both know it's a façade. I decided to leave this here, just because I hoped that one day you would find it, but not too soon because that would just be embarrassing. I know you and Jack are….whatever you and Jack are, but he will never love you in all the ways that I could. _

_ Silently and painfully yours,_

_XXX_

"No real name. That's useful…" Ianto thought. The way it was written was one, obviously not Jack, and two, had no particular identification to who the writer was. It could be anyone on the team. The Tea-boy had a secret admirer. Ianto had never blushed so pink in his life. Someone loved him. Really loved him and he never even saw it. He had to find who it was as soon as possible.

But first he had to finish cleaning. When he was done, he carefully replaced the coffee maker and resolved to interrogate everyone individually, in his own way. Sneaky as always…


	2. A Shoulder to Cry On

_**The first of the interrogations, holy crap, I had no clue how huge the response would be to this piece! R&R!**_

__The archivist folded the envelope and placed it in his pocket. He had questions to ask, it was only three people, how hard can this be? He started with the person closest to him, Gwen.

"Hey, Gwen." Ianto strode over like nothing had changed.  
"What's up Ianto?" Green eyes beaming up at him as they usually did.

"Well, I was just wondering if everything was okay with Rhys."

"Why wouldn't they be?" Gwen looked away, pain in the eyes that just held such warmth. All joy suddenly drained.

"I dunno…just checking up on you I guess" Ianto rocked on his heels.

"Well, they are absolute shite if you must know. Not only is Torchwood killing every hope of a normal life for me, he has convinced himself that I'm shagging Jack! How absurd is that! I mean Jack's a flirt, but he knows his limits and he would never fuck with the sanctity of holy matrimony! Rhys, I think may have thrown our wedding vows to the birds by now, because when I pick up his wash, I keep smellin' some fruity perfume I would never where. So either he's a trani or he's sleepin'around! " She was half in tears, half mad with rage.

Ianto sat down and scooped her in his arms, she collapsed into a heap on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair and let her sob. This was not a woman in love with him, this was a woman in love with a philandering husband. She was heartbroken.

"What did I do to deserve this? I'm a good person damn it! Don't I deserve to be loved? Respected? Treated like a real person and not just some, worthless, alien killing, bitch?" Gwen sobbed like a sixteen year old who was just stood up on prom night in her father's arms.

"Of course Cariad, of course, he doesn't know what he's missing. If you were my girl, you would never have a reason to feel unwanted." There was nothing he could do at this point but sooth her.

She pulled back, he eyes, red with tears, met his.

"You really mean that?" Gwen looked like rubbish, but she also looked like her spirits had been raised a little more.

"I really do." Ianto smiled. He placed a light kiss on her forehead, on her nose, and finally their lips met, not in a kiss of romance, passion, or wanting, but of need, understanding, and compassion. It was a chaste, perfect kiss that only lasted ten seconds tops, but it was long enough.

Long enough that Ianto didn't see the shadow run from the Hub.

_**There ya go. Ianto is getting around a wee bit. **____** Who do you think it is? **_


	3. Secret Pleasures

_**Interrogation two, and Ianto will end up with more then he bargained for. Little bit of Gwen bashing, yes I recognize the irony with my name and everything, but I'm not really writing this for me now am I?**_

The next day Ianto strode into the hub after a difficult night sleep. In one day, he recognized being his previously existing relationship…thing… with Jack, gotten a love letter form someone on the team, and kissed a married woman (a failing marriage, but it still counted on his conscience), and yet he was no closer to any answers now then he was when he opened that letter.

He felt a wee bit obligated to tell Jack about the letter. Ehh, he'd deal with that later. Right now he was going to deal with the long shot, Owen. The thing about Torchwood was that all normal conventions about gender relations were thrown out the window from the time you go through that cog door, so it could be Owen for all he knew. Not likely, but if he got a no from him that would just leave Tosh. The worst that would happen is Owen would lambast him. What else was new?

He wandered down to the med-bay round lunch time and thought that the best way to handle this would be to go straight for the throat.

"Hey, Owen, how do you feel about love letters?" Okay, so maybe not the throat, but close enough for the Tea-boy.

"They are fluffy, and camp, and stupid for fluffy, unrealistic, and stupid women." Owen answered without looking at the squid-like creature they had pulled out of the bay.

"Oh," Ianto wasn't surprised in the least, "Because I was just thinking-"

"Thinking of writing to dear Jackie boy? Based on the performance Tosh and I watched last night, more likely Gwen. In either case, it's a lost cause mate."

"What do you mean?" Ianto cocked his head to the right, as he always did when he was befuddled.

"Have you seen Gwen or Jack at all today?" Owen was snidely taking pleasure in the epiphany that was about to come.

Ianto thought a moment, as a matter of fact, he hadn't. At that moment, Gwen came out of Jack's office, her hair messy and tangled, and breathing heavily. Ianto rushed past Gwen to Jack's office. The minute he opened the door, he was greeted with a familiar smell, sex and sweat. Jack was half way getting his trousers up. Jack tried to get to Ianto to explain, but fell over trying to run. It was too late, Ianto had seen all he needed to and rushed out. He leaned over the rail and yelled across the Hub.

"You little bitch!" Ianto spat, half in tears, "I comforted you yesterday and this is how you repay me?" He ran down to the archives just to be alone.

He didn't know it, but he wasn't alone down there, and the person with him was secretly thrilled.

_***jazz hands* DRAMA! :D This was a fun one to write! Keep up the R&R and make me smile! Thanks**_

_**~Gwennie**_


	4. Devious Plans

_**I guess, as it is the season for giving, and everyone is being so super awesome with my story and everything, you **_**get, not one, but TWO chapters today! You**_** are welcome.**_

Ianto was heartbroken. Jack had tried to talk to him, twelve separate times in fact, but Ianto would just throw whatever he happened to have in his hand at the time and tell him to get out. Whether it was a file, an empty coffee mug, a full coffee mug, or some random piece of alien technology, it all got chucked at the Captain's head. So eventually Jack got the message and left him alone.

While he was down there, he had some time to think. There was only one person left to talk to, and that was Tosh. He could always talk to Tosh about anything. So he snuck out of the Archives and crept up to the Hub.

"Pst…Tosh." Ianto whispered, beckoning her back to his lair of flies. This time, he was in no mood to play games. He pulled the letter out of his pocket and held it between two fingers.

"Tosh, did you write this? I found this letter under the coffee maker and I'm desperately trying to find who wrote it."

"Sorry Ianto. It wasn't me." Tosh shrugged.

"Damn it!" Ianto bellowed and kicked a filing cabinet, he then pivoted and slid down the offending cabinet to a sitting position and rubbed his hands through his short hair. Tosh knelt down next to him.

"Ianto…what does the letter say?" He didn't feel like reading through it again, for what was probably the hundredth time, so he just handed it to her. She read through it carefully, and when she was done, there were tears in her eyes.

"Wow, Yan…Someone really loves you."

"Yeah, and it's either Gwen or Owen, and both notions are ridiculous."

Tosh had an idea to lure the writer out. It was devious, brilliant, and damn it, it just may work.


	5. Ultimatum

_**Next chapter! YAY! I am being compelled to write this even faster because so many people have responded to it, and they may be out for blood. ;)**_

__The next day, Ianto walked into the Hub, sat down on the sofa, and didn't speak. The Torchwood teem slowly trickled in and it was a matter of time before,

"Ianto, coffee, as strong as you can make it!" Jack yelled from his office, not willing to ask Ianto to his face after the previous day. But Ianto didn't move. Ten minutes later, the team, save Tosh, was realizing that they didn't get their coffee. They came to investigate.

"Ianto, we are really sorry about yesterday, but-" Gwen began, but Ianto got a wicked grin, put a finger to his lips, and pointed to the coffee maker. A piece of paper had been taped to the contraption.

_Dear XXX, _

_You wrote me a letter and left it under the coffee maker. If you left it, then you know what letter I'm talking about. Everyone has denied writing it, so I give you this ultimatum. Meet me in the Archives after everyone else leaves, or no one gets coffee. That's the rule. Think about it. _

_ Best wishes,_

_ Ianto Jones_

"Ianto, this is fighting dirty and it's not like you." Jack complained. Ianto didn't respond.

"Okay everyone,looks like the rules aren't going to change, so if you wrote it, please for the love of everything good in the world, come forward. We need caffeine tomorrow. UNIT is coming for a meeting and we need to be on our sharpest." Tosh explained, pleading with the team.

Ianto just pulled out an iPod and bopped along to the beat.

Meanwhile, someone's heart just leapt into their throat.


	6. Voices Behind Me

_**Okay, I can't stand making you wait. You all love me, right? You are going to love me more after this… just saying.**_

Tosh implemented new rules. At quitting time, they all had to leave, then an hour after; the writer would return and meet with Ianto. So they all rested on their laurels all day, just waiting…and waiting. Ianto, who was still listening to his iPod, hadn't moved, but inside he was all butterflies.

The team left…leaving Ianto to his own devices. He thought a moment about if it was each of the team members.

"What if it really is Gwen…She's very pretty…she slept with Jack though and that's a new level of betrayal. I couldn't ever trust her after that. What about Owen. Pff. No way it's the king of the straight men we are talking about. Besides, he gets his jollies from pissing me off. Its times like this I just wish it were Tosh. Tosh is sweet. Tosh I could deal with. I think I'm going to be sick."

He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He fluffed he hair and straightened his tie. He then bent down, got a drink of water from the tap, and when he straightened back up, Jack was behind him.

"So, you're really doing this huh?" Jack asked.

"Yep. I almost didn't, but you and Gwen…are you and Gwen-" Ianto started to ask.

"Uh yeah, actually. After her and you…you know…she came to me and we started talking and we've been in love with each other for a long while now…you understand don't you?" Jack tried to validate himself.

"Sure. Whatever. Maybe whoever this is, they will be the one. I don't need you anymore." Ianto spat with venom in his voice. He was still hurt, he loved Jack, he really did, but he meant it. He didn't need Jack anymore, because there was someone who loved him, and he was about to find out who.

"Okay…as long as we are okay…" Jack couldn't look him in the eye.

"We're fine Jack, just get out, I need to be in the Archives," he checked his watch "Damn it, 3 minutes ago."

He pushed past the Captain, his ex-lover, and rushed to the Archives. No one there yet. Perfect. Then a voice came from behind him.

"Hello my Ianto."

He spun around in shock when he heard the voice.


	7. The Meeting

_**Here you all go, you rated, you've loved, you've rated, and now you get to find out who the writer is. This story is going to go beyond this, just so you know, but thank you all for following me this far and keep it up.**_

He couldn't believe it. Of all the people, he was faced with this one. Ianto felt his face grow bright red.

Dr. Owen Harper was leaning against a cabinet, half smiling, half trying to keep from falling over. He loved the man in front of him, but was terrified to be there.

"Ow- Owen…Ummm…You…you wrote the letter?" Ianto was starting to realize how tight his tie was.

"Yeah…I did." Owen's attentions had become focused on Ianto's shoes "I meant it too." Owen awkwardly added, he thought the 'My Ianto' bit would raise his confidence a little bit, especially when he's confident all the time. Or so he acts.

"I…um…don't mean to sound like a tool right now, but um…aren't you…ya know…straight?" Ianto rubbed the back of his neck.

"You really think I planned this?" Owen stepped towards Ianto "I never intended to fall for a man…you of all people! I mean, you're the Tea-boy! But, you walk around in those suits, always professional and acting like nothing you see here bothers you, and what can I say, I fell. I even had an affair with Gwen to try to clear my head, I was in denial and it was wrong. I would have told you in person, but I was too much of a coward." Owen still couldn't look Ianto in the eyes. "I'm sorry- I should leave." And he started to walk away.

Before he could leave, Ianto grabbed the young doctor's hand and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. When they broke their kiss, Owen had tears in his eyes.

"You have no clue how long I've been waiting for that." And Owen pulled him into another kiss.

The two didn't leave the room all 'til morning.


	8. And So Starts the Story

_**Sorry for the lack of updateage. I was at a mate's flat and it was all Doctor Who for the weekend. What have we accomplished? The answer is simple, Tardis Tree Topper. Happy Christmas in advance. ~Gwennie**_

Ianto awakened entangled in the other man's arms. The previous night felt more right then anytime he'd ever had with Jack, but at the same time he wondered if he made the right choice. Ianto Jones was not the type of man to jump into the sack right away. He had no clue what had gotten into him. He shifted. his back hurting from sleeping on the cold, concrete floor of the archives. As soon as he moved, Owen awakened.

"Hello there Love." Owen groaned sleepily. Ianto got up and started dressing. There was something in Torchwood that was ten times worse than the walk of shame, and that was a trek from the deep recesses of the base in the same clothes that everyone saw them in the previous day. With Jack. Well, at least Owen was part of the guilty party in this case. If it were anyone else Ianto would have had to deal with Jack and Owen. Fortunately, the company he kept would make this more tolerable.

"Morning." Ianto said putting on his tie. Owen got up and pulled Ianto into a deep kiss. Ianto knew that his doubts were pointless and smiled. He'd found who he'd always been looking for. And it was who he least expected. He knew he could face Jack's mocking with the doctor by his side.

Owen quickly dressed; it didn't take long for him to become quite cold without Ianto's warmth next to him. Once they were both dressed…in the same clothes from yesterday, Ianto took Owen's hand.

"Ready?" Ianto asked, as one eyebrow rose.

"With you here? For anything. " This feeling and behaviour was out of character for Dr. Harper, but he was in love and for the first time in a very long time, happy.

"Right then. Let's go." And with that Ianto led him from the cold room. They would have some questions to answer.

And so the story of Owen Harper and Ianto Jones began. And it all started with a letter under the coffee maker.

_**I think I'm going to continue this story as a sequel. So keep your eyes open for The Story of Owen Harper and Ianto Jones. **_


End file.
